How to Install and Configure Nginx Web Server On Alpine Linux

osetc @ September 16, 2019 ALPINE LINUX

This post will guide you how to install and configure Nginx Web Server On a Alpine Linux. How do I setup a Nginx Web Server on your Alpine Linux Docker VM.

What is Nginx?
Step1: Installing Nginx Package
Step2: Creating User And Home Directory For Nginx Server
Step3: Configuring Nginx Server
Step4: Starting Nginx Server

install nginx alpine linux1

What is Nginx?

Nginx is a web server which can also be used as a reverse proxy, load balancer, mail proxy and HTTP cache. The software was created by Igor Sysoev and first publicly released in 2004.

Step1: Installing Nginx Package

You need to install Nginx package with the following apk commands firstly, type:

# apk update
# apk add nginx

outputs:

bash-5.0# apk update
fetch http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.10/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
fetch http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.10/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
v3.10.2-46-gbb3e7ac09b [http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.10/main]
v3.10.2-42-g95d37f7648 [http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.10/community]
OK: 10334 distinct packages available

bash-5.0# apk add nginx
(1/2) Installing pcre (8.43-r0)
(2/2) Installing nginx (1.16.1-r0)
Executing nginx-1.16.1-r0.pre-install
Executing busybox-1.30.1-r2.trigger
OK: 21 MiB in 23 packages

Step2: Creating User And Home Directory For Nginx Server

You also can create a user(mynginx) and home directory(/home/mynginx/) with the following command:

$ adduser -g 'Nginx www user' -h /home/mynginx/

outputs:

bash-5.0# adduser -g 'Nginx www user' -h /home/mynginx mynginx
Changing password for mynginx
New password:
Bad password: too weak
Retype password:
passwd: password for mynginx changed by root

Note: the home directory can be used to store files for your Nginx web server. it will be used when you configuring Nginx server.

Step3: Configuring Nginx Server

Once Nginx package is installed on your Alpine Linux and User account and Home directory are also created. you can create a virtual hosts configuration file of Nginx server called www.mytest.com.conf under /etc/nginx/conf.d/ directory with your vi or vim text editor. type:

# vi /etc/nginx/conf.d/www.mytest.com.conf

then add the following line into the file:

server {
listen 80;;
root /home/mynginx;
index index.html;
server_name www.mytest.com;

}

Save and close the file.

Step4: Starting Nginx Server

Now you need to start the Nginx server with the following command:

/ # /etc/init.d/nginx start

/ # service nginx start

Outputs:

/ # service nginx start
* WARNING: nginx is already starting

If you got the following error message: “/bin/sh: ./etc/init.d/nginx: not found“, then you need to install another package called openrc, type:

# apk add openrc --no-cache